He looked at the four of us, sprawled out on the mats.
“Why did I think I could leave you to your own devices?” he muttered.
“I don’t know, Luc,” Poppy said. “But thank goodness we have a big, strong alpha here to direct us now.”
Luc rolled his eyes, but I swore I saw his lips twitch.
“Alright, let’s get going,” he said, voice firm.
Poppy pulled me up and gave me a hug. “I’ll text you tomorrow morning to see how it was,” she said with a wink.
“Hey, Clementine,” I said, keeping my voice low as we partnered off. “I was wondering if there’s been any word from the DC about my pack. I thought they’d be more, I don’t know, meddling? But they haven’t gotten in touch with us at all. Do you know what’s going on?”
Clementine brought her head close to mine, her voice low and conspiratorial. “Things aren’t going well for Glen Jacoby or Marshall Whiteburn,” she said in a hushed voice. “We thought they would be more interfering, too, especially with how angry your pack fathers were with your selection. But the Alliance has been doing a ton to dismantle the government, so I think that has them distracted. Typically, the DC does a home check before officially signing off on a pack. I’m guessing Amirah can swing it so I’m the one who does that check.”
“Oh my gosh, that would be perfect. And we could hang out at the house after,” I said, bouncing up and down with excitement at the idea of actually being able to have friends over.
“I’m so glad we’re friends,” she said softly.
“Me, too.”
ChapterThirty-Four
Josie
Theo was waiting for me after class, his SUV parked right by the gym’s back exit. As soon as he saw me, he rounded the car to open the passenger side door. My stomach filled with little butterflies as I bounded towards him and threw myself into his arms. He automatically picked me up and squeezed me in for a crushingly tight hug. He’d clearly showered after his workout, and his hair was damp and falling across his forehead.
“Hi,” I said, my face pressed against his chest and breathing in his scent.
“I missed you,” he said quietly, pressing his face against my hair.
“It was only an hour,” I responded, pulling away from him as he set me back on the ground. “But I missed you, too.”
Theo’s lips quirked up in a smile as he kissed me on the forehead and helped me get in my seat. The heat was blasting in the car and my seat warmer was on. I knew it wasn’t because Theo needed it—he never seemed to get cold—but because he knew I got chilled easily. I wiggled happily at his attentiveness.
“I thought we might stop and get some ice cream,” he said, resting his hand on my leg as he drove through the downtown traffic. Heat pooled in my core as I imagined his hand inching further and further up my thigh.
“I would love that,” I responded, resting my hand on his.
“How was class?”
“It was so good,” I said. “Luc used his bark on us and we practiced resisting it.”
It had been a challenging class and different than usual. We usually practiced physically defending ourselves and fighting off opponents, but today was all about psychological resistance. Omegas were hard-wired to respond to an alpha’s bark, making us vulnerable no matter how physically strong or capable we were.
When Luc first suggested it, I had panicked, taken back to all my horrific memories with… the device. The scar on my arm had burned, and I’d almost refused to try. But with my friends encouraging me, I’d given it a shot. Being able to resist him, even just a little, had given me back the confidencetheyhad stolen. And it felt fucking amazing.
Theo fell silent, and his grip on my leg grew painfully hard. I whimpered and he immediately snatched his hand away, throwing me a horrified look.
“I’m so sorry, love. Did I hurt you?”
“I’m fine,” I said, waving a hand. “Why are you upset?”
“Upset?” he responded, his voice getting louder. “I’m fucking livid! Using an alpha bark on an omega you’re not bonded with is illegal. I’m going to kill him.” Theo whipped around in a U-turn, causing angry drivers to honk as he cut them off.
I wasn’t sure what to feel at his over-protectiveness—grateful? Annoyed? A little nervous? Theo was kind and gentle at his core, and for some reason, I found myself giggling at his over-the-top reaction.
“Love, what could you possibly be finding funny right now?” he asked in a deadly, measured voice that would have made me shrink back a week ago. But I knew this alpha now and couldn’t stop more laughter from bursting out. Theo’s face, which had been contorted in anger, turned towards me in confusion.
